'I understand the trepidation': Danny Cowley's upbeat message about Portsmouth January transfer window dealings

And he has pledged Pompey’s ‘new way of working’ can yield far more favourable results from a window which has historically given little good cheer.

Since Pompey’s return to League One in August 2017, coinciding with Tornante’s installation as owners, January has proven frustratingly underwhelming.

Despite 16 signings in the previous four mid-season windows, most have failed to impress, thereby negatively impacting upon the side’s league position.

Cowley is seeking up to four new arrivals this month, among them two permanent additions.

And he has vowed to ensure his first January window at Fratton Park is far more productive than predecessors.

He told The News: ‘In the industry we are in, we can only recruit at two times in a year, so whenever those times come around we have to make the most of them.

‘Everyone says January is a tough time to recruit, maybe, but if you recruit intelligently you can be very successful in this period.

‘I understand where the trepidation comes after previous January transfer windows in recent times at this football club, but it’s very much a new regime, a new way of working.

‘Let’s hope we can be a little more successful.

‘In an ideal world we'd like to bring in one or two permanent players as we’re conscious that in the summer we have a number out of contract and don’t want to be in the same position as we were last summer when we had too much to do.

‘We do have players ourselves that are coming out of contract which we would like to renew as well.’

Pompey must remove players from their wage bill before recruiting this month.

While Cowley is keeping tight-lipped over whether Tornante have given him funds to spend during the January recruitment drive.

He added: ‘We’ve got a clear budget, the owners from the moment we arrived at the club have always given us complete clarity.

‘They have been incredibly supportive – and it’s our job always to find the very best value for the finances we have available.

‘We’d like two permanent players, whether we can or not, time will tell. There’s a huge motivation to make it happen. When there’s a will, there is always a way.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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